michaeloutdoor

EAT. HUNT. SLEEP. REPEAT

November 16, 2015 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

Hillari with her first deer with the bow. Great tag teamed effort to put this one down.

What a great weekend to be in the woods! For the second weekend in a row, I headed out to upstate NY with my good friends Mike and Hillari to chase rutting bucks. We left Boston Thursday night and arrived with high hopes and some anxiety (horrible weather on the forecast)! The weekend before, I stopped in the areas on my way home from our southern tier hunt, to hang trail cameras and scout. In four days, I had three different bucks on camera and some very patterned does. The weather forecast was high winds, around 20 MPH and occasional freezing rain. Not the best conditions to sit all day, but the rut was in full swing and deer would still have to move. I had already filled my archery buck tag, so I was hunting for meat. We hunted public property on Friday and I shot a doe walking from a thick bedding area to the hardwoods. It was crossbow season and I wanted to get everything on film.

My biggest goal this year was to capture my hunts with my go-pro!

It wasn’t the best angle, but I had a good opening and a steady rest. I let the deer sit for a few hours after my shot, then we tracked it over half a mile, eventually jumping it one time. The deer did not look hurt at all and I think my arrow passed through no mans land missing the vitals completely. Looked for it the next day and lost the pin pricks of blood. I hate leaving the blood trail or knowing I wounded a deer, but I know this deer had just a flesh wound (because of how far it ran and how little it bled). It would live to see another day, smarter and more cautious now!

The weather continued to be a nasty slap in the face, but we hunted hard and Mike had luck shooting a nice doe on Saturday evening. The wind was still blasting, but his efforts on the all day sit, paid off with backstraps. I was able to film some of the short track job! There is nothing like seeing a white belly in the dark. There were a ton of deer walking the thick edges of the property that night and Mike made a clean, quartering away shot at 25 yards. He did the right thing and let the deer sit for a few hours. After dinner we quickly picked up the blood trail and found her 40 yards from where he shot.

Sunday Morning looked like a great weather wise with minimal wind and cold temperatures. We were hunting a piece of private land that I had permission on that abutted the NYS State Forest. Great area with sloping hills, thick brush transition areas and overgrown fields. That same day, my high school buddy was hunting his land about five miles away. He had some great deer on camera and has been managing the property for a few years. His goal was to only shoot racked bucks (no forks, spikes or small 6pts. A few days earlier, a nice shooter was grunting up a storm chasing a doe. This love struck 8pt was making a loud racket, MAKE SURE YOUR VOLUME IS UP! His Wildgame trail camera caught the whole thing.

My high school buddy ended shooting this nice buck on Sunday night. The deer owned the area and responded to one of his grunts. He made a nice shot at 20 yards and the deer piled up after a few steps. It’s great to see deer management pay off.

That same night, my fiance and I left the area to head back home while Mike and Hillari remained in the tree. Hillari had a nice encounter with a buck, but her arrow missed the deer completely after glancing off some small tree branches. Being a bow hunter, we often have heartbreaks in the woods. Hillari had been hunting hard for a few days and seemed defeated after this unfortunate miss. Her persistence would pay off a few hours later!

Mike and Hillari shot the same deer! It was a great hunt and now they have this amazing and unique memory together.

I got a call from Mike at 4:45PM, frantic and excited. He said he shot a big 8pt a few minutes before and the deer actually ran right up to where Hillari was sitting. She made a clear shot at 18 yards then watched the buck disappear in some thick cover. Hillari and Mike have never killed a buck with a bow and were hard pressed on filling their tags this weekend. How cool is it that they both shot the same deer! Tag team style, the couple put their time in the stand and during the last half hour of legal shooting time, a buck tag was punched. She did not see the deer go down, so did the right thing in quietly getting out of the woods and let the buck sit for a few hours. They ended up finding the deer a little farther than expected in the early morning.

This weekend was one of the best in a long time. We had some great adventures in the woods and harvested some quality animals. Fall is my favorite time of the year and even though I didn’t punch a tag, I enjoyed seeing my close friends have success. Thank you for reading and be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram page for more great pictures.

-Michael

Action Camera Videos/Fall/hunting

Warm Weather Deer!

November 9, 2015 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

Biggest spike I've ever seen! Great hunt with food in the freezer. — Biggest spike I’ve ever seen! Great hunt with food in the freezer.

What a great weekend to be in the woods! Our annual trip to one of our hot spots in NY paid off with backstrap dividends. Going into the weekend, I did not have a ton of optimism for the first few days of the trip. The weather was going to be unseasonably warm, like 65-75 degree warm. Typically the first full week in November is right around 30 in the morning and at the highest temperature, about 45-50. After the long 6.5 hour drive, we arrived ready for action. Four hours later, we woke up and walked to our spots. It was 70 degrees at 5:45 AM, with wind coming in around 12:00 PM and some light rain. Not the most ideal conditions, but the rut has just started to kick off!

Stud 9 point (broken G-2) that took the trophy for the weekend. 185lbs dressed.

We ended the weekend with two bucks down and a few other nice encounters. During one of the warmer days, my buddy and I both shot “seeking phase” bucks that were on a mission to find a doe in estrous. I shot a big spike and he took a monster 9 pt. The best day of the trip (temperature wise) was Sunday morning. Crystal clear weather with 32 degree temps and no wind. I was already tagged out, but had a great time filming my buddy. We did not harvest a buck, but had a nice encounter with a massive four point within bow range.

I will post a video of the weekend within a few days. Thanks for reading and if you had success in the woods this past weekend, please share your pictures on our Facebook page!

-Michael

Fall/hunting/Interview with the Pros

Interview with Michael Hunsucker of Heartland Bowhunter

November 2, 2015November 2, 2015 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

There are many different hunting shows on the air right now, but one that is differentiating from the masses and building huge credibility is the award winning Heartland Bowhunter. I was extremely fortunate to get the opportunity to speak with one of Heartland Bowhunter’s founders, Michael Hunsucker, this past Friday. He is a really good dude and gave some great advice to better yourself in the woods. I hope you enjoy this interview!

Green Lake Chronicles: Where did it all start for you boys?

Michael Hunsucker: I grew up deer hunting the rifle season in Missouri, where we only had 10 days in the woods to try and fill our tags. I shot my first whitetail when I was 10 years old and was hooked ever since. My passion for the outdoors started at deer camp as I’m sure many others did. As I grew older, 10 days in the woods was not nearly enough to quench my hunting thirst. I purchased a compound and taught myself how to bow hunt. The Missouri bow season was much longer than rifle and gave me a great opportunity better myself as a hunter. During this time, I developed a passion for filming hunts. I had a cheap video camera and brought it into the woods every chance I had. As my bow hunting skills continued to grow, I started going out with my high school buddy, Shawn Lutchel (Heartland Bowhunter co-founder). Shawn was raised in an outdoor family and had a few more years of bow hunting experience under his belt. We started to get serious about filming hunts and eventually graduated to a better video camera. We were getting some great videos, but not to excited about the camera arm we were using. We wanted to develop a stable and quality camera rest for the stand and after some trial and error, the HB Sniper Pro Tree arm was born. This arm allowed us to up our game and really accelerated our filming. It put us on the map with notable hunting pros. Our goal initially was not to develop this tree arm for financial reasons, but to create a camera rest that will give us the best footage for our personal memories. Eventually we saw how well this arm worked and saw an opportunity promoting it to other hunters. After all the work we put into the first DVD, Shawn and I thought “why don’t we just start a hunting show and produce ourselves.” It all took off from there!

Green Lake Chronicles: Awesome story Mike. What was your most memorable hunt to date?

Michael Hunsucker: Ah man, there has been so many great hunts in my time, but I would have to say that the most memorable hunt for me was when I filmed Shawn take Junior. Prior to this, we got real serious in managing our deer herd. Passing on younger bucks until they matured to full breeding and antler potential. Junior was a buck that I had personally watched for a few years. We saw him grow as a two year old from our Reconyx trail cams and I even passed on him when he was a 160″ three year old. There was a lot of time and energies put into the management of Junior and I had spent most of the 2010 summer locking down his patterns. Opening day Missouri 2010, I was filming Shawn on what would be one of our best hunts to date. It was a rainy day and we had encounter with Junior around 40 yards at one point, before he walked away. Later on Junior came back and Shawn made a great shot at him around 15 yards. I never kicked myself for passing on Junior the year before, it wasn’t about who killed him. Junior was the product of hard work, scouting and effective deer management. He scored 172 6/8″. I was fortunate to share this amazing memory with Shawn.

Green Lake Chronicles: That’s great Mike, especially seeing junior as a stud 160” and getting him at full potential the following year. What is your favorite species to hunt?

Michael Hunsucker: That’s an easy one. I love going after whitetails. The time and effort put into deer management and scouting makes it that much more rewarding when you have the opportunity to take a big buck.

Green Lake Chronicles: What is the most challenging hunt you have been on?

Michael Hunsucker: Good question, I think the most challenging type of hunting is out west. Chasing elk or mulies in the high country is a physically demanding and mentally challenging hunt. You are usually hunting on the ground, spot and stalk and hiking miles to get a good wind. These western hunts will also get to you mentally. You can spend all day waiting for the right wind to stalk and when you’re getting close, the wind changes or the animal gets spooked. You can make your own luck, but you have to work extremely hard for it.

Green Lake Chronicles: I know you boys shoot NAP Killzone broadheads, but have you ever thought about making the switch to a fixed blade? The fixed VS mechanical is a hot topic.

Michael Hunsucker: Man I don’t think so. NAP makes a great product and their Killzone is nasty. I prefer shooting a broadhead with a wider cutting diameter and the Killzone opens up at 2″. I have nothing against fixed blades, but again prefer to have the additional insurance from a wider cutting diameter. Not every shot will be a perfect double lung and the wide cut gives me more confidence.

Green Lake Chronicles: What bow poundage do you recommend for beginning bow hunters?

Michael Hunsucker: A common misconception for beginning bow hunters, is that they should be pulling back big weight. That’s really not the case and I recommend folks pick a draw weight that they can consistently pull back and be confident with. It’s dependent on the person and how much they can pullback with ease. Keep in mind, shooting targets in warm weather is somewhat easy, but when you are on post, have bulky clothes on and a case of buck fever comes over you, you want to make sure you can get the string back clean! Confidence and comfort are key. I would also recommend buying a bow, that you can change weight as you become stronger and more comfortable. That way, you don’t need to buy something new every year.

Green Lake Chronicles: Great advice Mike, I remember when I first started, I tried pulling way to much back and froze when I had my first chance on a deer! What fundamental tips can you share for beginning bow hunters and what recommendations do you have to improve the mistakes of beginning bow hunters?

Michael Hunsucker: When I started bow hunting way back, I learned a ton from personal trial and error. The more time you put in the deer stand, the more opportunity you will get watching how deer work. Early on, I didn’t really understand the importance of hunting the wind. I would say this is the most important factor when choosing a stand. Don’t rush into hunting a spot, if you the wind is wrong. It’s better to hold off and not get the deer off their regular patterns. The second important tip I can share is hunting from the outside in, especially if it’s on a new property. Hunting from the outside and setting up “observation” stands will really teach you how to pattern. Using this mentality will allow you to pinpoint deer movement and make adjustments throughout the season. I also set up a ton of Reconyx trail cams to do the scouting for me. You can’t beat technology these days and trail cams have revolutionized the game.

Best advice I can give beginning hunters is to know the anatomy of deer to ensure proper shot placement. Study the vitals of deer and practice as much as possible. I like to shoot at 100 yards when I practice, because it builds confidence. I would never take a shot at 100 yards, but if you can consistently shoot vitals at a farther distance, you will have much more confidence when the deer comes within range. Practice to build muscle memory and know exactly where the vitals are on a deer no matter what placement they give you. Many beginning hunters rush a shot and get guts or non vital. END

Mike, thank you for taking the time to speak with us and share some great information about hunting. I started watching the show a few years back and was immediately hooked on the production quality, camera shots/angles and the actual story within each episode. As I mentioned above, there are a ton of hunting shows on air right now, but Heartland Bowhunter is a game changer. They do not focus on the hard sell of products or individual personalities, but on the memories and the story. The Heartland guys want viewers to be able to relate and not conform to the traditional, cookie cutter hunting program.

I hope you enjoyed this interview as much as I did. I urge you to check out the Heartland Bowhunter website to learn more about these guys and be sure to catch their next episode tonight 11/2 at 9:30 ET on the Outdoor Channel. Thanks for reading.

Disclaimer: All images in this article were found on The Outdoor Channel, google images and the Heartland Bowhunter website. Green Lake Chronicles is a “not for profit” style blog and all photos are credited to the appropriate owners listed above. Green Lake Chronicles does not take any credit for these photos.

-Michael

Fall/hunting/Hunting stories

The Montana Success Story- Part Two

October 30, 2015 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

Bearman with a nice Montana bull on a do it yourself public land hunt

Yesterday I posted the first part of the Montana Success Story where we read about “Bearmans” first mulie harvest. The story only gets better! Please enjoy “Bearmans” recount of this awesome Elk hunt.

“Elk season is a mythical window of time that calls to me all year. From the day the season ends until the day it opens again I am constantly hiking, scouting, and dreaming of my adventures for the season to come. This season in particular has been a roller coaster ride to say the least, and not just the kid’s roller coaster, but the really high go upside down kind of thing. September bow season is my favorite time of year without a doubt. The weather is perfect, scenery is fantastic, and the bulls are singing. As far as I am concerned there are few things more pure and exciting than a bull elk screaming at daybreak on a calm fall morning. Fortunately, I got into that familiar scenario multiple times in different locations throughout the season. Not only did I hear elk, but I had some close calls; really close; head to head at 3 yards close. Talk about an exhilarating experience. Then there was the lowest of lows where an animal was wounded and not recovered. Even after all possible efforts have been taken to ensure that the animal is not immediately dead; the possibility always exists that he will die eventually. Anyone who has hunted long enough knows this awful feeling and can just hope that the animal heals from a non-lethal shot. Needless to say, bow season ended with mixed emotions, some great memories, and lessons learned.

A week between seasons and it was rifle time. After five weekends in the bow hunting woods with no meat to show for it, I was ready. My rifle was dialed in, shooting a clover leaf at 100 yards and four inch group at 300 yards. Opening day I returned to my favorite bow hunting area and saw a few elk but from over a mile away and no way to get in on them in time. The following day I put my rifle to the test on my first mule deer buck which performed flawlessly. Very satisfied to have a buck tag filled, I felt less stress to pursue a bull until the snow started sticking. With one week between daylight savings time, coaching Junior High football after teaching Shop at the high school, I decided to take some friends out hunting and try to have them fill their deer tags. The plan was to put them on what I thought to be the better spots and I would circle below and try to push some deer in their direction. So with no real intention on hunting too seriously I set off to break in my new boots and exercise my rifle. A few miles in I jumped some does that ran back uphill towards my hunting companions. At that time I stopped and contemplated the strange gut feeling to change my course that I have felt on many successful hunts before. Without hesitation I turned off the trail and slowly wandered down through an old logged out area of timber with some old ponderosa pine trees mixed with new fir tree undergrowth standing about ten feet tall. I still hunted down through the area until I broke a stick under my boots when I stopped. Looking out about 150 yards on the edge of the cut I spotted something tan behind a small fir tree. Bringing up my scope I could see the definite outline of an elk butt and hind leg frozen in place listening to the stick I had just broken. The elk had not yet seen or smelled me so I cow called a few times to make me seem like one of the herd. Sure enough the elk turned his head showing me that he was in fact a bull. A few minutes later he started to walk again. Now I could see that he was in fact a legal bull with at least a four inch brow tine but had no shot opportunities through the timber. The first available shooting lane was nearly 100 yards in front of were the elk was headed. If he stepped out there it would be roughly 225 yards and I would be ready. Three cows seemed to appear out of nowhere right in that spot and looked very uneasy. The wind began to hit my neck and the cows must have got a little whiff of me and turned back into the timer out of sight. Meanwhile the bull was approaching the opening where I would hopefully be able to make a shot when he stopped to look at his cows. I thought, “Oh no he’s going to follow those cows and be gone for good.” He only needed to take two more steps but he looked like he wanted to change his mind so I cow called one more time to get his attention. It did the trick. I was sitting down with rifle rested on my knee. He looked back uphill out of curiosity and when he walked two more steps to get a better look I sent a bullet down range. Now twenty cows joined him and were running through the clearing. I racked a round, found him in the scope, fired and watched him drop. I could still see him alive with his head up so I quickly finished him off with a neck shot. My after work tromp through the woods had just ended with a magnificent creature on the ground.

Well it didn’t end there. Anyone who has ever killed and elk knows that the work really starts when the shooting stops. I got it gutted out as the sun finally sank behind the mountains and headed back to the truck to meet the other two and tell them the story. There’s a song that says, “…you find out who your friends are”, but I think Tracy Lawrence left out a verse about finding a pack crew when it’s miles from nowhere and dark out. Being the lucky guy I am it only took an hour and there were four of us with bikes and pack frames ready to roll down an old gated road. The date was October 27^th with clear skies, temps in the low 30s, and a big full moon. For me, the memories of the pack out have been comparable to that of some of my best hunts. Four guys brought together by the common love of hunting headed through the woods with mountain bikes and only the light of the moon casting shadows through the trees. The whole time my dog Angel running beside us as part of the team. This if for sure a memory that I will not soon forget. Tagged out and time to make summer sausage!”

Awesome story Bearman, thank you for sharing. As I said before, this guy is a great example of how to work hard, scout often and put your time in the woods to harvest some quality animals. Thank you for reading and be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for great pictures.

-Michael

Fall/hunting/Hunting stories

The Montana Success Story- Part One

October 29, 2015 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

Bearman with his first Montana Mule Deer

I‘ve learned a lot about hunting and persistence from my buddy “bearman” and since his move to Montana, he has developed to become one of the most successful hunters I know. The guy puts in serious time and loves to walk miles in search of untouched hunting grounds. This past Sunday to Tuesday was his greatest hunting accomplishments to date. Please enjoy Bearman’s awesome recount of his first Mule deer.

Bearman Close up Mulie — Long pack home!

“It was a late start to the morning following a strenuous death march the previous day in search of elk. With high hopes I traveled from my home in Darby down the Bitterroot Valley to meet up with long time hunting buddy Mike Kaplan to cover some new country. For me, today’s mission was to find a mule deer buck in the high country for the area which I had drawn a permit for. Deer numbers in this area are low, so to see any is a success in itself, but for us the thrill of new adventures keeps us hiking on. At mid-morning on an overcast 55 degree calm day we found ourselves hiking higher and higher through steep rock, burn, and timber. Several miles and several hours into our hunt we came over a ridge to find nine mule deer does feeding across the opposite hillside about 200 yards out; but no bucks to be found. After watching them for a while, we let them feed over the next ridge before making our next move. A short trek later we were on top of some radical rock formations overlooking the same group of deer in the next draw over. With the afternoon slowly ticking away, and near to our estimated turn around location, Mike decided it was time to head back to the truck. At that point my genetically adventurous spirit took over and told me to look over just one more ridge. Many times this voice leads me to that ridge or hill, and then another, and another, and another, with an end result of nothing but an exhausted Max; but not today. Today Mike split back towards the truck as I went one more ridge over. As I crept out of a heavily timbered gully into a decade old burn and there caught the glimpse of two mule deer butts gently easing over the horizon line 300 yards in front of me. With anticipation high, my legs and lungs carried me quickly through deadfall and standing tree skeletons uphill in the direction that the deer were moving. Breathing heavy and soaked with sweat I approached a giant boulder at the edge of a sharp drop off. Many hours in the field had me prepared to be ready at an instance upon reaching the edge, so with my Remington 7mm-.08 at the ready and pack unstrapped, I peered over the edge of the large boulder. Immediately I could see ears and eyes focused on me at me 80 yards straight ahead, along with a clearly visible antler! I had one shooting lane about four feet wide with his head, neck, and most of his front shoulder visible. Although I prefer to sneak a bullet in behind the shoulder as to not waste valuable meat, at this moment I knew I had no other options. Lying down with the rifle now steadied on a large rock, my crosshairs settled on the deer’s shoulder. A split second later my ears were ringing from the shot, the empty casing was rolling down through the rocks, and the buck I had just shot at turned into two muley bucks bounding off through the burn and headed deeper into a hell hole of a canyon below.

Not knowing which buck I had shot at, or being presented another shot at the deer, I watch one bound over the hill on the horizon as the other bailed off left and crashed out of sight. Heart pounding I headed to where the deer were standing when I took the shot. No blood, no hair, and an uneasy feeling setting in, I began to walk downhill where I had heard the one deer crash through the deadfall. Within moments, my worries were turned to feelings of joy when I saw the fur on his large body piled up against a tree. My first mule deer buck had only run 40 yards with a well-placed 139 grain Hornady to the boiler maker. I quickly used my one bar of cell service to call Mike and utilize his concrete crew strength to help me with the pack out. A few hours later we were loading the buck in the truck and soaking up the memories from anther great adventure. It is not the kill itself but the hard work, beautiful country, adventure, time with old friends, lean meat, and memories that last forever that keep true hunters like us headed to the mountains year after year.”

-Bearman

Thanks for your awesome recount of this great hunt Bearman. Folks, be sure to check out Green Lake Chronicles tomorrow for part of of the Montana Success Story! Thanks for reading and be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for great pictures.

-Michael

gear/hunting

Let’s Talk Broadheads

October 28, 2015 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

Bearman-Buck — Chronicles Pro-Staffer, Bearman, with a nice Montana buck. #slicktrickbroadheads

When I started bow hunting (little over 14 years ago) I didn’t have a clue about the “science” and tuning needed to make sure my broadheads/arrows flew true. I was shooting my dad’s old Bear Archery Whitetail II bow, which weighed a ton and had 50% let off and was using an assortment of old broadheads I found in his gear box. Remeber the funky head called, Pucketts Elk Head Bloodtrailer? I shot this for a year until I finally learned how to tune my fixed blades, then made the switch to Muzzy. I shot my first buck with a bow when I was 15 and the old school Muzzy three blade zipped right through the lungs. Broadheads have come a LONG way since then and folks have many different options to choose from.

My biggest thing, is to choose a head that will not require a ton of tuning. I want to slap it on the arrow and go. I switched over to mechanical heads 10 years ago and have continued success getting deep penetrations and clean pass through. The original Rage 100g head is nasty, boasting a 2” cutting diameter and cut on impact head. Since Rage energized the market with this simple, reverse slip cam technology, many other manufacturers have stepped up their game. There are a million different calculated and fluffy reviews out there on brands you should shoot, but when choosing a head, I break it down into three simple categories and pick the best one regardless of manufacturer.

Toughness- Whitetails are a rugged animal and if you do not get a double lung or heart shot pass through, you want to choose a head that has enough kinetic energy and durability to bust through bone. Most of the deer I’ve killed have been quartering shots, where I try and zip the arrow through the rib cage into the front shoulder area. A cut on impact, durable head will get you more penetration and hopefully pass through any bones. Broadheads are expensive too! I want to be able to use the same head after I shoot a deer (with changing blades of course) and cheap/fancy mechanicals are usually one shot and done.

Reliability- When you are drawing back on a nice deer, you want to make sure the arrow is going to fly straight. Fundamentals right? Many people who write poor reviews about fixed blade broads, do not take the time to tune accordingly or match their arrows per grain tip. I love fixed blade and have played around with some through the years, but I always make sure I shoot them before going into the woods. Fixed blades tend to be more sturdy, rugged, have deeper penetration and cut on impact. The drawback (other than tuning) is they lack in cutting diameter. Compare those to a mechanical, which predominately have a much larger cutting surface and no field tuning. Their drawback is the potential for failure with the mechanisms. I want a head that I know will work 100% of the time.

Penetration- Traditional fixed blades are known to cause more penetration than mechanical. There is no loss of kinetic energy upon try as with most mechanical broads. Some broadhead manufacturers have tried to fix this problem, such as Rage and Grim Reaper, with expansion on little effort. Bottom line is that you are going to lose some penetration using a mechanical, so you have to figure out whats more important to you. I prefer a head that will penetrate well and open up a wide cut path. Bigger cutting diameter heads will have a tougher time blasting through bones, but will leave a devastating hole.

There are a ton of broadheads out there, but the most important thing is that you choose one that fits your needs and one you can rely on. As I mentioned above, I like a head that cuts on impact, opens up a nasty cut path and penetrates well. Here are my no BS recommendations:

Fixed Blade- Slicktrick Standard 100g. I have seen many animals taken with these heads and they always seem to fly true. They have a solid steel ferrule with a cut on impact and bone crushing head along with four extremely sharp 1” blades. This head will create a clean and deep whole without giving up flight consistency. The blades lock in tight and stay in position. Buy these anywhere for about 38 bucks.

Mechanical- Rage 100g Hyperdermic. I don’t need to say much about these guys. They have a kick ass head. Flies true as a field point and creates a devastating 2” cutting diameter. The body/head is different from the older Rage and comes with a solid one piece steel ferrule. This is one of the best penetrating mechanical broadheads on the market and they open up wound channels like you wouldn’t believe. Buy these anywhere for about 45 bucks.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this post. If you have any questions, please contact me at greenlakechronicles@gmail.com. Be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for great pictures.

-Michael

Fall/hunting

Deer Hunting Forecast-Northeast

October 22, 2015 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

Rut Buck Shotgun — Nice 8pt shot during prime “chase” phase during regular season in Cayuga County, NY

As you have seen from my past articles, I primarily deer hunt in New York where the annual deer harvest is one of the highest in the country. Most of the deer taken are from gun season (which can be like WWII from city hunters) but archery season is very quiet throughout the state. For this 2015 season, the experts are projecting the rut to kick off about a week earlier than last year. This will bode well for archery hunters. Hunting whitetails during the rut, especially in the Northeast, is one of the best times to increase your chances at taking a nice buck. Clearly a no brainer, but be prepared for bucks to start chasing earlier this hunting season, so plan to adjust your tactics accordingly.

Archery buck taken during the "seeking" phase of the rut — Archery buck taken during the “seeking” phase of the rut

There are different theories as to when bucks begin their rut and the most popular one is to follow the moon phase. This year, the rutting moon falls on October 27th. The rutting moon is the second full moon after the Autumnal equinox. I’ve read a few articles that say this will trigger bucks to begin their early “seeking” phase of the rut. Some does will begin an early estrus cycle during this time. Be prepared to change your tactics from hunting predominately over food areas to bedding transition zones or rub lines.

I haven’t killed the monster bucks like the Lakosky’s, but I have success every hunting season following fundamental tactics. In the early season I strictly choose to hunt near food sources or transition zones. During this time, I build a profile of my hunting grounds and lock down deer patterns. I rarely use any estrus in October, but occasionally put a scent wick out if the weather patterns become unseasonably cold. With my experience, temperature in Upstate NY is one the leading factors that affects rut activity. Deer will start moving around much more and not be locked into their nocturnal patterns. During the early stages of the rut, I spend a lot more time on post, typically taking a two hour break for lunch and sometimes changing my afternoon stand location. Putting time in the stand will get you a deer, but yes you can get lucky just sitting for the last hour of daylight! I’ve shot some nice deer during midday and highly recommend you sitting as long as you can during chase rut.

I hope you have success this hunting season! I will post more videos and articles once November comes around when I don’t have my hectic 9-5 schedule. Be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for great pictures. Thanks for reading.

-Michael

Action Camera Videos/hunting/product review

Gear Review: Wildgame Innovations Cloak Trail Camera

October 15, 2015 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

I made a big push this year to try out a few different trail cameras to test out. Pending results I plan on buying a bunch of the best one in bulk for my properties in NY and our family’s outfitting business, Blue Walleye Outpost in Quebec, Canada. I already have a few of the older Wildgame Innovations models and have a neutral opinion on them. Trail cameras dramatically increase your chances on taking a nice animal and allow you to pattern appropriately. This year, I bought the new Wildgame Innovations Cloak, Wildgame innovations Razor 8x Lightsout and the Bushnell Trophy Cam 8mp. Earlier in the year, the Chronicles crew planted a few small food plots on one of our pieces of land in the Southern Tier of New York. I placed the Cloak camera on a small tree towards the top of an overgrown field, that overlooks our test plot.

I was somewhat skeptical of this camera’s placement, but was hoping to get intel on bucks running the edge of the field and or deer coming into the plot. Only after a few weeks, the results were awesome. The photo on the right is of a nice 9pt cruising the top of the field near the food plot. We have him in many other pictures, typically at night and alone. The cloak also captured some turkeys, bunch of other smaller bucks and two wily coyotes. Here are my thoughts on this camera:

Functionality: 5/5 stars. The cloak is extremely easy to set up and is compact to fit in tight spots. It’s made of a durable plastic material that is waterproof.

Setup: 5/5 stars. I am a little old school and prefer to not waste time messing around with different settings and shooting modes. I like it simple, quick and reliable. The Cloak is really easy to use. Put in the correct date/time and your’e basically done. There are a few different options, but it does not get confusing like other, more complex cameras. Set, point and shoot.

Camera quality: 3.8/5 stars. The 4 megapixel lens is nothing to get to jacked up about, but the quality of the images are far better than $100-200 cameras that were available years ago. My dad always said that you get what you pay for and if you are expecting superior images, then you will be disappointed. The pictures are good and there will have no issues determining the size and quality of the animals that get captured.

Features: 4/5 stars. The cloak offers a fast one second trigger speed, 50-ft detection range, 18-LED infrared flash bulbs and up to 30 second capture video clips. If you want something fancy, then you will not fall in love with these features. As I mentioned above, they are perfect for me and other hunters who want a simple option.

Price: 4.5/5 stars. The cloak is not to expensive and competes with cameras above $100. They retail for about $69.99 and can be found at almost any outdoor shop. If you are looking to buy a handful of the same camera’s, the Cloak won’t break the bank and will give you a solid product.

Battery: 3.8/5 stars. Wildgame promotes this camera as one to take up to 10,000 pictures on a full battery. I don’t have 10,000 pictures yet, but I have changed the batteries once about 3.5 months after I put it up. This summer has been extremely hot and I know that can affect the power output, but be prepared to check camera often and change batteries accordingly.

Overall I rate this camera 4.38 stars. I like it and plan on buying more. Super simple, easy to set up and the trigger speed captures some great pictures. It gets the job done for what I need. I would definitely recommenced this camera if you want to spend under 100 bucks and get something reliable. If you have any questions about this post, please contact me at greenlakechronicles@gmail.com. Be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for great pictures. Thanks for reading.

-Michael

Fall/hunting

Do You Remember Your First Time?

October 14, 2015 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

I have had the privilege of being raised in a family that shares a passion for the outdoors. My father is one of the best deer hunters I have ever met and he raised me to respect firearms and value outdoor recreation. As I became more experienced, I wanted to share my passion with folks within my social circle. I chose to attend SUNY Oswego in North Central New York, because it was an excellent location for outdoor activities and the education wasn’t too bad either! I met my best buddies up there and recruited them to join me in the woods or on the river. Many of them never really hunted before or cast out a line. Almost ten years later (since my freshman year) a few of my recruits are now avid outdoorsmen and continue to strengthen their skills afield.

One of the most special and memorable hunts I have ever been on was one that I was a spectator to my good buddy Dave taking his first deer. We were hunting the difficult Adirondack Mountain State Forests, where you may not see anything for years, but when you do it would most likely be a buck. It was late October/early November and the Chronicles Crew (with other affiliates) were on our annual “dack” hunting trip. This was always a fun time together, since many of us were coming from different parts of the country and got to reunite while hunting. The year before, I hunted with Dave on a mountain ridge that overlooked a nice gully pinch point. We planned on hunting the same spot the following year. Dave and I split up for the first few hours, hunting about 500 yards from each other and planned on meeting up somewhere in the middle to eat breakfast. Coincidentally, we hooked up on the exact ridge where we hunted the year before. At that time, we did not have GPS so it was ironic we found the exact same spot as the last year. We discussed our morning hunt and schemed for the remainder of the day. As we were choking down some cliff granola bars, Dave get’s quiet and tell me to “shut up, shut up.” I had my back turned from the downside of the hill, facing Dave. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a deer walking parallel to us on a string to his Tinks Scent Bomb hanging in a tree about 50 yards down. I kept asking, “what do you see, what is it?” I was locked still, watching the whole thing happen from Dave’s perspective. Then he slowly raised his rifle (shaking profusely), takes a deep breath and BANG. Keep in mind, I never saw this deer and had to wait, for what felt like hours, to see what would happen. We both get up and look down hill to a 7pt laying dead. SUCCESS! Dave had just taken his first whitetail ever and I was there to experience the whole thing. Dave was one of my original outdoor recruits from college and now was a proven deer hunter.

This hunt still remains in my top five best memories afield. The video above is Dave recalling the hunt. I posted it years ago on my former blog, so please disregard the URL at the end.

I would love to hear about your stories about the first animal you took in your hunting career. Please feel free to post a picture and a short summary on our Facebook visitors page. Looking forward to reading about your first time!

Michael

Fall/Fishing/hunting

Browns Campground-Altmar, NY

October 13, 2015 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

This past weekend, the Chronicles crew ventured west to Pulaski, NY eager to get a fat Chinnok on the line on the Oswego and Salmon river. Fishing was tough, we only hooked up a few times and were not able to cross the deep parts of the Oswego river to our hot spot by the dam. The water levels were high and extremely dangerous. The salmon river was chalk full of people, but we were able to land a few fresh Chinook salmon.

The Green Lake Chronicles Crew has been making this annual trip since October 2010. We pitch our tents at Brown’s Campground located in Altmar, NY right off route 13. Browns campground is owned by Sonja Brown and operated by Pete and Monica Garner. Monica is Sonja’s daughter and has grown up watching thousands of fishermen/women enjoy the Salmon river bounty. We always arrive late, find a vacant tent site and set up shop. Even at 2AM, the campground is full of excited fishermen/women prepping their equipment for the morning outing. The scenery is amazing, located nearly on the Salmon river and the stars are as bright as LED light-bulbs. The owners are extremely welcoming and unbelievably gracious. They have a main office with a tackle shop, RV electric hook up, salmon cleaning station and bathhouse (showers and toilets included). Pricing is extremely reasonable, being dependent on length of stay, amount of people in your party and choice of camper unit or tent. What differentiates this campground from it’s competitors, is the private access to the nostalgic salmon river and the hospitable staff. Hands down some of the best people I have ever met. Campers are able to walk a short distance from their tent/camper to the lush salmon fishing grounds with their private access point. Browns also offers a fish smoking service with immediate turnaround. Catch your fish one night, surrender it to the “fillet master,” and come back the next day within 24 hours to collect a tasty smoked salmon treat.

Not only is the fishing fantastic at Browns, but there is a slew of public hunting land available nearby to chase whitetails. One of the best trips to date was October 2010. We slammed the salmon in Oswego and on the salmon river access point at Browns Campground and I shot a nice 7pt buck with my Mathews. Cast and blast can be a fun weekend for those who are looking to break up their Salmon fishing itinerary.

I plan on making a trip to Browns every year and will eventually bring my future kids along for the adventure. Monica and Pete and great people and will give you a warm welcome every time. Many of their campers are regulars dating back 20+ years. If you plan on making a trip to Salmon country, I strongly urge you check out Browns. For booking information, please contact Monica at brownscampground12@yahoo.com. If you have any questions, please contact me at greenlakechronicles@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!

Michael

Author: michaeloutdoor